Docker has sort of revolutionized the micro-services ecosystem since its first launch little more than a year back. The recent announcement from Microsoft about the partnership with Docker is a significant move, with some even calling it the best thing that has happened to Microsoft since .NET. This partnership will allow developers to create Windows Server Docker containers!
What is interesting is that this move will produce a mixed bag of efforts and investment directly from the Windows Server product team, as well as from the open source community that has been championing the cause for Docker. Thus getting it a serious footprint in the world of distributed applications enabling development, build, and distribution.
Dockerized apps for Linux containers on Windows Azure have already been in play for a while now. With this new initiative, Windows Server based containers will see the light of day. This is very exciting for developers as it will allow them to create and distribute applications on a mixed platform of both Linux and Windows. To align with the Docker platform, Microsoft will focus on the Windows Server Container infrastructure that will allow developers in the .NET world to share, publish and ship containers to virtually any location running the next gen Windows Server, including Microsoft Azure. The following initiatives have been worked out:
- Docker Engine supporting Windows Server images in the Docker Hub.
- Portability with Docker Remote API for multi-container applications.
- Integration of Docker Hub with Microsoft Azure Management Portal for easy provisioning and configuration.
- MS Open Tech will contribute the code to Docker Client supporting the provisioning of multi-container Docker applications using the Remote API.
This partnership should silence the reservations critics had regarding the success of the Docker platform and will be a great win for developers in the .NET world!
